North Atlantic Regional High School
High School Handbook
COURSE DESCRIPTION
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FOR
SELF-DESIGNED COURSE
It is often best to write the course descriptions A F T E R completing the course,
allowing you to provide a description of what actually happened.
Course Title, Description:
Course Classification:
FA
Basic Jewelry Making
Making jewelry is a fine art skill. It requires time and patience, combined with a flare for style and creativity. This course will require that the student
document his or her time and activities and provide proof that the course was taken and evaluated. Written work and photographs of the student making
the jewelry and other evidence will be provided in the portfolio.
Objectives included:
-To learn about metals used in jewelry such as gold, silver, platinum, copper, etc.
-To learn about precious stones used.
-To study clay jewelry.
-To study glass beading.
-To study estate jewelry.
-To study appraisal.
-To learn to make keychains, hair jewelry, wire necklaces, rings, pendants, and earrings.
Research included:
The Internet was a valuable place to search for detail.. The following sites were a good place to start:
www.geocities.com/jwlrymkr to study casting, fabrication, mold making, repairs, wax carving, ingot making, polishing, stone setting, and more.
www.antiquejewelryonline.com for tutorials, periods of jewelry history 1760-1950, gemstone lore, birthstones, and jewelry metals.
-We asked a jeweler to recommend good books to read (see list of books in the portfolio).
-We interviewed a jeweler about the things he liked and didn’t like about his profession.
-We job shadowed a jeweler for one busy day in February, just before Valentine’s Day!
-Visited a quarry (see photos in portfolio)
-Visited gem shows, after we found a listing of them on the Internet (see list on the portfolio).
-Visited craft shows to find local artisans whose hobbies include making their own jewelry and selling it directly to the public.
-Visited craft and hobby shops to see what supplies they carry related to making jewelry.
-Interviewed three local artists from craft & jewelry shows and determined the route that led them to their profession/hobby (see report in portfolio)
-Visited the library to research the subject (not much there in our town!).
-Collected and studied various rocks and minerals (see photo and chart in portfolio)
-Learned to classify rocks and minerals.
-Found out how jewelers earn a degree in their field, and what special certification is available (see report in the portfolio)
Suggested Textbooks:
To locate current textbooks on the subject, we went to the following. (see the list of the books, as mentioned above, in the portfolio)
-Trade publications, journals for jewelers, journals used by the jewelry profession.
-Craft publications which specifically feature jewelry making.
-Library reference books on the topic(they were limited).
-Found out that jewelry making is offered at the local community college or university. Then,we called the college bookstore and asked the
name of the text they are using for that course. We considered buying it, but the cost seemed really high!
-Studied magazine articles. (Used the Readers Guide To Periodic Literature. It referred us to the most recent magazine articles on the subject.)
-Studied the classified sections of the jewelry magazines, a wealth of information (see sample of the ads in portfolio).
Method of Evaluation:
- We produced written summaries of some discoveries and experiences learned and they are in the portfolio.
This written work is dated, corrected, and graded, as best we knew how..
- We produced a scrapbook of photos, articles, people, places and activities done during the course of study.
- We produced some jewelry, trying our hand at the jewelry making process. (See scrapbook pages of the process in the portfolio.)
- We tried to repair jewelry. We had broken or non-functional jewelry available from relatives and friends. They gave it to us, and we worked on it.
Sometimes we were successful, and sometimes we were not (the broken watches are still broken!) Again, we photographed the projects (see enclosed)
- We created a “Glossary of Terms” used in the jewelry industry (enclosed in the portfolio)
This course description is protected under copyright and is the property of the North Atlantic Regional High School, Inc., Lewiston, Maine.
Use it as a model to create your own for any subject area.
Credentials for high schoolers since 1989.
North Atlantic Regional High School
High School Handbook
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Student’s Name:____________________
(
THIS Course Title:___________________________
THIS SELF-DESIGNED COURSE
FOR
Grade level: _________
Course Classification: _________
EACH self-designed course needs its OWN course description.
Every self-designed course needs to have one of these included
in the end-of-year portfolio to qualify for credit. Copy this form
and use it as many times as you may need.
Description for THIS course only:
School year: _________
(pick from the following subject areas)
Language Arts (English), Foreign Language,
Math, Science, Social Studies, US History,
Physical Education, Health, Computer,
State Studies, Business, or Practical Arts
(Tell what this course was about, just a sentence or two will do)
Objectives -- What we hope TO LEARN with this subject:
(Notice that all objectives in sample on the opposite page begin with the
word “To” indicating what they planned to learn from this lesson.)
What we D I D to learn this topic: (ACTIVITIES, such as did research, took trips,
job-shadowed adults, job-training at work, played on sports teams,
whatever activities you DID to get this course done.)
What we U S E D to learn this subject:
(Did you use guides, books, texts, DVD’s, CD’s, Internet, other materials? List and name those resources here.)
How we GRADED this subject:
(How did you come up with a grade for this course? Did you use the grading tools given in the NARHS Resource
Advisor, letters from employers, coaches, or others; prizes, awards, or contest placements; or any other methods of evaluation. Name the items that went into the final grade
for this course.)
TOTAL HOURS invested and logged for this course: ______
FINAL GRADE for this course: ______
© This “Easy-Use” Form is protected under copyright and is the property of the North Atlantic Regional High School, Inc., Lewiston, Maine.
www.narhs.org
Use it as a model to create your own for any subject area.